Uniting against Cancer Relapse: Successful Mid-Term Meeting of the eRaDicate Project

TissueGnostics proudly participated in the recent mid-term meeting and first doctoral school of the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (DN) project eRaDicate.

eRaDicate is a European Union-supported initiative focused on innovative cancer research and training. The meeting, held on March 24-27, 2025, in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, marked a key milestone for the multi-partner, interdisciplinary project, aiming to combat cancer metastasis through scientific and technological innovation.

A United Effort Against Metastasis

The eRaDicate project, launched in January 2024, brings together 22 partner organizations – including universities, research centers, and industry – to train the next generation of cancer researchers. Its mission is twofold: to develop new diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for metastatic cancers and to equip 11 doctoral candidates (DC) with interdisciplinary expertise spanning cancer biology, computational science, and bioinformatics.

Apart from the PhD students, senior faculty members in their capacity as supervisors and mentors joined the meeting personally – each beneficiary was represented by one or more members of faculty – as well as four members of the advisory board: Suzanne Turner, Antonio Mouriño Mosquera, Cesar Cobaleda, and Jyotsna Batra. The meeting provided an international in-person platform for the exchange of scientific ideas, networking and collaboration.

"eRaDicate is more than just a research consortium. It's a teaching and training platform that prepares young scientists for impactful careers, whether in academia, industry, or beyond," said network coordinator Martin Schepelmann. “With support from industrial partners like TissueGnostics, we are equipping our PhD students with real-world experience and broader perspectives.”

The eRaDicate consortium: PhD students, academic and industrial partners at the mid-term meeting. Courtesy: Martin Schepelmann.

Highlights of the Mid-Term Meeting and First School

The mid-term meeting gathered all 11 PhD students, 17 senior faculty members, members of the advisory board, and the EU Project Officer from the Research Executive Agency (REA). The purpose was both formal - reviewing progress with the funder - and relational, to foster networking and peer exchange.

"While virtual meetings are efficient, in-person interactions are essential. The spontaneous hallway conversations, shared meals, and group tours form the human connections that drive collaboration and innovation,” said Schepelmann. “These bonds are often the birthplace of new ideas.”

The program included student presentations, a review session with the advisory board, and the inaugural eRaDicate School – a multidisciplinary crash course covering topics like cancer biology, ethics, social media, and scientific visualization.

TissueGnostics PhD student Carmen Colin Tenorio reflected, “Presenting my research to such a diverse audience helped me see where it fits into the bigger picture. We're all tackling issues connected with cancer metastasis, just from different angles - and that’s the strength of this network.”

Isabella Ellinger, group leader at the Medical University of Vienna and senior supervisor of Carmen Tenorio, adds, “As the leader of the work package teaching, I was very pleased to see how well the students delivered their first presentations – and I'm especially proud of our DC Carmen! And it was wonderful to see how all the students got along better and better as the meeting progressed. Thanks to our hosts, Roman Perez-Fernandez and Maria Alvaraz-Bermudez, the midterm meeting in Santiago de Compostela was a wonderful first opportunity for everyone to network.”

Doctoral students of the eRaDicate project at the midterm school dinner. Courtesy: Isabella Ellinger.

Industry-Academia Collaboration in Action

Carmen’s research bridges artificial intelligence and histopathology. Based at TissueGnostics, she’s pioneering the use of deep learning for medical images analysis and combining it with tissue cytometry histoplasmonics – a novel label-free imaging technique that may redefine how diagnostic workflows are performed.

“My experience at TissueGnostics changed how I think about AI,” she said. “In academia, we chase the highest accuracy. In industry, you ask: does it work on real patient data? Is it scalable? Is it usable in hospitals? This perspective is invaluable.”

CEO of TissueGnostics, Rupert Ecker, emphasized the importance of such partnerships: “Being part of eRaDicate aligns with our mission of advancing precision medicine. We’re contributing technology, training, and strategic insight. And in return, we’re engaging with brilliant young researchers and forward-thinking academic leaders.”

As a leader in image analysis and whole-slide imaging, TissueGnostics offers its knowhow and technology platform for in-depth tissue analysis. The company has already hosted the project kick-off meeting and continues to provide technological tools and software to support the research.

Looking Ahead

The eRaDicate project represents a compelling model of how public funding, academic research, and industry expertise can come together to address society’s grand challenges. For TissueGnostics, the benefits go beyond participation – it’s about shaping the future of diagnostics and contributing to a broader mission of eliminating cancer metastasis.

“Our collaboration in eRaDicate allows us to stay at the forefront of innovation,” said Ecker. “But even more importantly, it allows us to help cultivate the talent and technologies that will define the next decade of healthcare.”

For more information about eRaDicate, visit: https://www.eradicate-project.eu
Learn more about TissueGnostics at: https://tissuegnostics.com